by Lisa TomeContributing editor Margaret Gray paid her Delmarva Power bill on March 21. "They've not gotten it. And then I got a double bill (the following month). It definitely worries me," said Gray. "The little we have, we don't want someone to come and take." "We get other people's mail in our box. We've lived here 15 years," said Gray.

Gray is one of more than 100 residents at the Fairview Senior Housing complex on Rising Sun's McNamee Lane. And lately, she's had more than her share of problems with her mail. She's not alone. "My apartment is 201. There is a building at 201 McNamee Lane. I get mail for them five times a year," said Fairview resident Barbara Coale. Some of that mail for 201 McNamee Lane included checks. Coale made sure they got to the intended sender. "I opened a letter and it was a check for $1,600 for 201 McNamee Lane. I made sure they got it. Last Saturday, I got a letter for my next door neighbor. She is in the nursing home," said Coale. A resident who has lived in Fairview for three years, said she often gets mail addressed to other people. She also mailed a rent rebate form which never reached the recipient. "I mailed it from here. It's (the problem) not just here. It's all over Maryland," said the woman. Elaine Eldreth has lived in Fairview for a half dozen years. She mailed a check to her dentist on March 31. As of last week, her payment hasn't been credited. "I check my bank statement every day. I never in a million years worried about the mail," said Eldreth. At the age of 91 and a half years, Ethel Dempsey, who has lived in Fairview for nine years, was one of the first residents to realize there was a problem with Delmarva bills mailed in March. Her electric bill wasn't received and she was charged $1.21 interest and got a double bill the next month. "After that, it upset me. I've never had a problem before. This is very confusing," said Dempsey. Joyce Travis mailed two checks on March 22. One to pay for her cell phone another to pay her electric bill. "Neither check has been received. It does make me worry. I'm starting to pay more bills online." said Travis. Frank and Carol Garland paid their state taxes, $321, on March 21. That check hasn't been received by the state. Ruth Ham, keeps a ledger of all her bills. She has had to stop payment on four checks, at $30 each for bills she mailed March 20. One of the stop payment amounts was two thirds of the amount of the check she wrote for her insurance. This is just a small sampling of the issues those at Fairview have faced in recent weeks. The individual postal boxes are labeled both inside and out with the apartment number. Other residents at Fairview also reported that they get checks and packages for 201 McNamee Lane. There are 75 mailboxes and 113 residents at Fairview. Only postal employees can access the outgoing mail. The seniors keep records and ledgers and write checks. Another Fairview resident sent three cards - a birthday card containing cash, a sympathy card, and another card to Ohio. None of those cards have reached their destination. Wendy Deaner, who manages Fairview, has worked to resolve the issues for the tenants. Deaner enlisted help from two local banks - Cecil Bank and BB&T - to answer the Fairview resident questions regarding stop payment costs and securing their identity. They also learned about obtaining free credit reports and setting up online bill paying and proper use of ATMs. Carol Jugler, from Cecil Bank stated that "It's a Rising Sun (post office) problem not just your problem," said Jugler. Deaner also gave residents, if they wished, forms from The U.S Postal Inspection Service and Congressman Andy Harris, where they could file formal complaints regarding the issue. "This has been very disruptive to their lives. They are calling banks, the electric company and the phone company," said Deaner. Rising Sun Postmaster Donna Staley referred this matter to Freda Sauter, USPS Corporate Communications. "The Postal Service apologizes for any inconvenience our customers are having with their mail service. We want to assure our customers that we are taking their complaints seriously and remain fully committed to identifying and reviewing all concerns with our customers," said Sauter. "Local postal officials have already contacted Fairview Senior Center to address their mail issues." "The Postal Service encourages anyone who wishes to contact us about mail delivery issues to call 800-275-8777 or contact the local USPS Consumer Affairs Office at 410-347-4330," said Sauter. "While the route including the Fairview Senior Center is not yet large enough to assign a full time regular carrier, all USPS personnel who deliver to the facility are fully trained in all delivery procedures," said Sauter.